Maldon District has more than one connection with the Battle of Trafalgar, one of them being the curate of Burnham on Crouch, the Reverend Doctor Alexander Scott who was present at the death of Nelson.

More famous perhaps is Maldon's former MP (1780-1784), Sir Eliab Harvey, who commanded the battleship Temeraire at Trafalgar – second after HMS Victory to penetrate the French/Spanish battle line, and immortalised many years later by a famous Turner painting.

Harvey was by no means a straightforward hero: he had a reputation throughout his life for his hot temper, and his carelessness with money. Born in 1758 at Chigwell to a wealthy family, he inherited a considerable fortune in 1779. He frequented drinking and gambling dens in London, and once lost £100,000 on a single throw of the dice. His chivalrous opponent would only take £10,000, giving him a chance to win the remaining £90,000 back on the next throw. This he did – but failed to honour the £10,000 debt!

Alongside this, Harvey had a career in the Royal Navy. He was entered on the books of a navy schooner in 1771 at the age of thirteen, but did not serve. This was a common device to enable officers to acquire seniority before they actually served on a ship.

Harvey's proper service began in 1774 as a midshipman on a sloop. He served on various ships, chiefly in the Americas, becoming lieutenant in 1779.

Harvey then took a break for his parliamentary career, becoming Maldon's MP in 1780. Interestingly in the context of the current debate on MPs' second jobs, Harvey combined his MP duties with brief spells commanding HMS Dolphin and HMS Otter!

Peace with the U.S.A. gave Harvey a break from duties, and more time for serious gambling and squabbling. But war with France meant his recall to service from 1793 – although this didn't stop him from being MP for Essex from 1802 to 1812.

Harvey was given the command of the 98-gun three-decker HMS Temeraire in 1803. It was a new ship, built in 1798, with 755 crew. As a larger ship it was second in the column behind Victory at Trafalgar, and the flamboyant Harvey began to overtake Nelson as they approached the enemy fleet, earning a telling off by flag signal: 'I will thank you Captain Harvey, to keep your proper station which is astern of Victory'.

There is no doubting the courage of Harvey and his crew: Temeraire plunged straight into the enemy line after Victory, taking broadsides from the French 'Neptune' and Spanish 'San Justo', and becoming trapped by the 'Redoutable' and 'Fougeux'. The former had already been pounded by HMS Victory, and Temeraire dealt with the 'Fougeux' by boarding.

The stickiest moment must have been when a lit grenade from 'Redoutable' bounced all the way down a hatch into the main magazine, where it was extinguished by a quick-witted master-at-arms. If this had not occurred, all three ships might have been blown to oblivion.

Completely dismasted, but with a captured French ship on each side, Temeraire was taken in tow after the battle. 123 crew had been killed or wounded, and a further 43 were lost when the captured 'Fougeux' was wrecked in the storm which blew up after the battle.

Admiral Collingwood said that 'nothing could be finer' than the conduct of Temeraire and her crew. Harvey was rewarded with a gold medal, the thanks of parliament, and promotion to rear-admiral.

With promotion by strict seniority, Harvey steadily rose to the rank of full admiral after the battle, but saw little active service, although he continued to pick arguments with his fellow officers. He continued his parliamentary duties, and died in 1830. He is buried at the family tomb at St Andrews Hempstead, in Uttlesford.

HMS Temeraire is ironically much better remembered than its eccentric captain, because the wonderfully evocative J.M.W. Turner painting 'The Fighting Temeraire' is known and loved by many. This atmospheric picture depicts the sad old warrior being towed by steam tug to be broken up at Rotherhithe. Much of the timber was bought up by house builders, and some might still exist in a cottage or two somewhere – though sadly not in our neighbourhood!